PC Feeling Slow? Tweak These Microsoft Defender Settings to Make It Snappy Again
It is inevitable for an operating system as complex as Windows to experience slowdowns. Most of these slowdowns are the result of underpowered hardware which is an easy fix if you have money to spend on more powerful components.
The next best thing is to tailor background processors to use much fewer resources. And when it comes to reducing background resource usage, your first choice should be customizing Microsoft Defender.
This is where DefenderUI comes in. DefenderUI is a UI overlay that allows you to customize Window Defender through an intuitive interface. Let’s see how to use it to make Defender less resource-hungry.
How Does Microsoft Defender Reduce the Performance of Your PC?
Generally, Microsoft Defender is always running in the background. It periodically checks for virus definition updates as well as performs scheduled scans automatically.
Microsoft Defender also computes file hashes for all executable files on your PC to provide better protection against malware. Computing hashes is quite taxing on the CPU, so it can affect system performance quite a bit.
Defender activities like scheduled scans, frequent definition update checks, and file hash computations can tank system performance if your PC isn’t well-equipped. So, disabling/adjusting these features can help minimize Defender’s performance impact.
How to Tweak Microsoft Defender Settings to Make Your PC Snappy
While it’s possible to dig into the Windows Settings app and tweak Defender options, we won’t recommend it, as there is an easy way to go about this. DefenderUI, a third-party tool, organizes all Defender settings in an easy-to-navigate manner.
Once you disable file hash computation, Microsoft Defender will no longer computer file hashes for every executable on your system, giving a potential performance boost.
The Low CPU priority option will make sure the scheduled scans aren’t high priority and, as a result, won’t execute before more important tasks like a command associated with a video game you are playing.
Under the Low CPU priority option, you will find dropdown menus forAverage CPU utilization while scanningandSignature update interval. Adjusting these options can also result in improved system performance.
First, click theAverage CPU utilization while scanningmenu and select the lowest value you are comfortable with. For instance, if you select 10%, Defender will try to only use, on average, 10% of the CPU while executing a scheduled scan.
Second, theSignature update intervalis the time after which the Defender will check for definition updates. The lower the number, the more frequently Defender will check for updates and, thereby, potentially reducing system performance.
So, set the Signature update interval to as large a number as you are comfortable with. For instance, choosing 24 hours will make Defender only check for updates once a day.
Finally, you may also make Defender scans faster by excluding certain file types and folders from scheduled scans. Seehow to whitelist files and folders in Microsoft Defenderfor more information on the topic.
In theAdvancedtab, you’ll find options such asScan email,Scan archives,Scan network files, etc. While we don’t recommend disabling all, you can uncheck any that you like to make Defender scans faster.
For instance, hitScan emailto stop Defender from scanning emails. If you do this, you will need to learnhow to spot unsafe email attachments, as you’ll no longer get Defender’s protection. However, if you’re confident you won’t get infected through an email, it might be worth turning it off to save some CPU.
Similarly, if you trust removable drives that are connected to your computer, you can uncheckScan removable drivesto keep Defender from scanning the drives.
DefenderUI Can Do Much More Than Just Speed Up Your PC
Fine-tuning Microsoft Defender’s background resource usage is only a small part of what makes DefenderUI so useful. You can use the utility for a variety of Defender-related tasks including tweaking scanning behavior and managing notifications.
In essence, DefenderUI takes the already-great Defender and makes it much more robust and easier to use.
Windows Defender is good as-is, but DefenderUI can make it even better.
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